OTTAWA-
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said the federal government will work as constructively as possible with Alberta after lawmakers passed Premier Danielle Smith’s controversial sovereignty act.
“We’re not going to discuss something that the Alberta government is obviously trying to push against the federal government,” Trudeau said Thursday in Ottawa.
“We will continue to work in the most constructive way possible.”
The legislature passed the legislation overnight after removing a provision that would have granted the provincial cabinet extraordinary powers.
Smith described the legislation during a third and final reading of the bill as a reset of the relationship with Trudeau and the federal government.
Indigenous groups had called for the bill to be scrapped, saying they had received no consultation on the legislation or how it would affect Indigenous rights. Opposition New Democrats described it as “a hot train of mess.”
Randy Boissonnault, a federal Liberal cabinet minister from Alberta, said no one asked for the bill.
“I’m worried to see what the applications of this are,” he said.
Boissonnault called the bill a “big distraction” and said people and businesses are worried about how it could jeopardize the province’s economic growth.
He said the federal government is not looking to fight with Alberta and the key to success is collaboration.
“My appeal to the Prime Minister and his colleagues is that we work together.”
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on December 8, 2022.
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